The downtown office of ArentFox Schiff lured a three-attorney labor and employment team away from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton.

The trio – Morgan Forsey, Daniel McQueen and Nora Stilestein – joined Washington-based ArentFox Schiff as partners last month. They all worked together at Sheppard Mullin as partners prior to the move. ArentFox leadership indicated that their collective experience in defending wage-and-hour class actions made them an attractive get for the firm.

“They bring substantial experience in health care and other industry sectors that align well with the strengths of our firm,” Aaron Jacoby, the managing partner of ArentFox’s Los Angeles operation, said in a statement, adding, “and they will add even more depth to our talented bench of attorneys in Southern California.”

The team specializes in Private Attorney General Act, or PAGA, cases, which allow employees to bring wage-and-hour lawsuits against employers in place of the usual state attorneys. Individual employees can file suits or groups can file a class action together.

Forsey also handles cases involving government agencies and works with clients to navigate audits and other procedures. McQueen handles litigation matters as well as human resources issues and wage-and-hour audits. Stilestein often works at the federal level.

California has a reputation for its active business regulatory environment and firms here bolster their labor and employment groups opportunistically. The current slate of ongoing or resolved labor strikes and negotiations – including those involving SAG-AFTRA, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the Unite Here Local 11 union for hotel workers, and unions for UPS, Amazon and Starbucks – also have some firms looking to capitalize on the resulting work.